A site in Taylor has been chosen for Samsung’s new $17 billion chip-making factory.
“The implications of this facility extend far beyond the boundaries of Texas. It’s going to impact the entire world,” Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the deal.
Abbott said this is the largest foreign direct investment in Texas on record.
The tech company had also considered locating the factory in Austin, New York or Arizona.
The site will consist of about 6 million square feet in the southwest part of the city.
Taylor, Williamson County and the Taylor Independent School District made agreements with Samsung in recent months over incentives and expectations.
That includes offering tax breaks, providing land and constructing roads around the property. In exchange, the company has promised to create 1,800 jobs and at least 24 internships for students a year.
Taylor Mayor Brandt Rydell said the city was honored to be selected for the site.
“Samsung’s decision to locate its cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication plant in Taylor is the single most significant and consequential development for the local economy since the International & Great Northern Railroad laid tracks here in the 1870s,” he said.
Williamson County Commissioner Russ Boles, who represents Taylor, said the factory may change the area, but residential developers have already brought changes. Bringing the tech giant to the small town is one of many decisions local leaders had to make for the future of the area.
“It’s more of a trade-off of fewer rooftops for the ability to have more jobs and more opportunities,” he said.
Don and Tammy Struble, who own the Loose Screw bar, said they are up for whatever changes may come.
“Although we are a bit concerned about losing Taylor’s small-town charm and character, as small-business owners we are excited about the prospect of potential growth to our town and surrounding communities,” the couple said. “Change and growth are inevitable.”
This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.
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